How physician associates help, not replace, physicians | Letters

I don’t recognize the challenges of introducing physician associates (PAs) in the same way that Dr Rachel Clarke does (what if your ‘doctor’ wasn’t a doctor at all? Beware of this new reckless experiment, June 20 ). Introducing a new crop of healthcare professionals is a huge responsibility, and local experience shows that the ability to manage its implementation is often poor.

Our practice will soon employ four PAs, including two who left other practices where they were virtually left to fend for themselves. One tells how on her first day in her first job she was assigned a fully booked clinic with no introduction, training or guidance, and how she felt awkward seeking help. This is not uncommon.

Until we recognize that many physicians need to be better equipped with leadership and management training, we risk losing the goodwill and commitment of a promising new group of healthcare professionals due to shortcomings in medical supervision.
Dr. Rubin Minhas
GP Partner, Gravesend, Kent

Dr. Rachel Clarke highlights concerns in the medical community about the role of PAs. I agree that these features have been rolled out without a clear regulatory framework and have been used inappropriately in primary care by NHS clinical leaders (who are often doctors), leading to some tragic cases. But Dr. Clarke must remember that these are also dedicated individuals who have graduated in biomedical sciences and completed a period of post-doctoral training.

When used properly, PAs play a key role in supporting physicians and providing efficient and safe care, especially in a hospital setting. They don’t replace doctors, they support us. It is clear that their role needs to be defined and monitored.

The debate over PAs has become toxic. The solution to this is for senior doctors like Dr Clarke to start discussions about the way PAs are trained and supervised. The dedicated and caring PAs on my team know that they are not doctors and want to help their patients.
Dr. Tim Lavin
Sales, Greater Manchester